Steelers CB Cortez Allen Enters Jump Year As A Starter

While he only played just over 560 snaps on defense last season, Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Cortez Allen certainly made the most of them as he registered two interceptions, three forced fumbles and 10 passes defensed in 2012, his second season on the league.

The Steelers thought highly enough of Allen that they allowed fellow cornerback Keenan Lewis to run off uncontested to the New Orleans Saints as a free agent. Lewis, while he didn\’t register any interceptions last season, did have 23 passes defensed to go along with one forced fumble and 71 total tackles.

2013 will mark Allen\’s third year in the league and his first as a full-time starter. The third year is normally considered a jump-year for cornerbacks and wide receivers and below is a list of cornerbacks and their stats that they put up in their third year in the league dating back to 2000.

Knowing what you already know about the Steelers defense and Allen heading into 2013, what kind of numbers are you expecting from him in his third year?

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While it stinks to lose a guy like Lewis just when he’s turning that corner (no pun intended), you can’t get into a bidding war with the (home) team that Keenan clearly wanted to join anyway. If he had six interceptions to go with the 23 passes defended, OK. Different story, then.

But I think Allen will have a strong year. He’s as ready as he’s going to get.

http://twitter.com/softdrums Shea Fahr

Just for fun, I will predict Allen to have 6 ints, 28 pd, 2 FF, 1 sack and 67 tackles.

Kysteeler

I’m all about Allen.. High hopes for him this year. I for one didn’t want Lewis back as I feel Allen has way more upside.

For fun i’m going with – 70tackles, 19PDs, 4INTs, 2FF….. and hopefully a new long term contract after the season

steeltown

Could also see William Gay getting a sack or two this year.. on some designed blitzes

r4kolb

Sad thing is if the case is he does get better he too will just walk at the end of his 4 year contract because someone will overpay him and it will be yet another good pick by the Steelers gone.

DAYSNWAYS

65 tackles, 26 PDs, 5 Int’s, 1 sack, 3FF

steeltown

Possibly.. but the good thing about this situation, in relation to Keenan Lewis, is that Cortez will not be a UFA till 2015.. so the Steelers will get to see him start and they’ll know after this year whether or not to sign him long term before 2015, where as with K.Lewis he didn’t start till his final contract yr, before that the Team didn’t know if he was worth re-signing. This time around, they can let Cortez start this year and then still hopefully get an extension worked out next year

hergieburbur

I think with the time they have to see what he’s got, if he shows anything they will make moves to lock him up prior to him ever hitting FA.

hergieburbur

Seems about right. I wouldn’t be surprised with another INT or so and a few less PDs.

hergieburbur

All does have way more upside, but I wanted Lewis back because of Ike’s age.

hergieburbur

To be fair, if he’d had 6 interceptions, as they say “the price of poker just went up”, and we couldn’t afford him anyway.

WilliamSekinger

That was the thing about Keenan Lewis. He developed late, and the Steelers could not realistically take a chance on signing him long term early because he simply hadn’t shown enough. Cortez however seems to be developing much faster and the Steelers have this year to watch and make the determination of signing him long term BEFORE he becomes an UFA

rizzo29

Is that for week 1

Kevin Gobleck

Woo! Chad Scott!

hergieburbur

Ugh! Why did you have to go there?

alex

is see a chain of teacher-pupil growth continuing from Lake AND Ike to Lewis, now Allen, and soon to be Hawthorne (sorry Brown)…as long as we can keep Lake around…

hergieburbur

I hope so. And I agree Hawthorne, even at this early stage, is the likely next guy, as Brown has yet to turn the corner and time is running out.

StarSpangledSteeler

What I think the Steelers SHOULD do… Lock him this off season after the June 17th money comes free.

What I think the Steelers WILL do… Wait to see how he does this season. Then let him play under a 1st round tender. Then pay him a larger extension contract.

They’ll probably save enough money the next 2 years to offset the increased future salary on the long term deal.

$19122620

I can’t believe some of these PD projections! If he gets higher teens he will have done a fine job and I’ll be happy. 15-20 PD in a season is doing a good job as far as PD in a season is concerened.

In addition, I do suspect him to get more INTs then we have had by CB in a long time. Which shouldn’t be hard considering it would require him to get more then 3 probably, pathetic!

Printez O. Stroman

That’s why I think he’s one of the better nickelbacks in the NFL, cat can blitz from the slot.

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